Ban Bike Lanes in the "Door Zone"

Bike lane in the "door zone"--Baldwin Park.  

 The car or truck door opens in an instant, striking a bicyclist or causing the bicyclist to instinctively swerve into fast-moving, motorist traffic.  A fatality can result.  

This is called "dooring" and Commute Orlando posted a chilling video from the vantage point of a motorist at THIS LINK.  A transportation planner or engineer should never assume that a bicyclist can scan the interior of every motor vehicle--especially in Florida where windows are often tinted--and have enough time to react when a door opens.  An average bicyclist will travel the length of a parked car every second where on-street parking is allowed.

The bottom line is that local governments should never allow bike lanes in a door zone.  Internal policies should specifically prohibit them.

Commute Orlando advocates against bike lanes and I generally agree that we do not need bike lanes on many low-speed streets with low traffic volumes.  New Broad Street in Baldwin Park, depicted in the photo above, has slow speeds but also a fair amount of traffic volume.  The absence of a bike lane would discourage  many bicyclists from riding there altogether.  When the City of Orlando resurfaces the street, the City should, at the very least, move the bike lane to the left side, along the median, out of the door zone.

Seaside -- How to Do it Right

How do you create aesthetically attractive, desirable development without debt?  With safe streets for kids?  Which incubates small businesses?  How do you maximize the value of real estate?  How do you create environmentally responsible development for less money?  Check out this terrific video about Seaside, Florida with a tour by the town planner, Andres Duany:

  

If this has interested you, more of Seaside's principal players speak in the following video:

FDOT: Please Save the Florida Coast-to-Coast Connector Trail

The Cross-Seminole Trail, which would connect to the Coast-to-Coast Connector Trail.  

Governor Scott vetoed $50 million approved by the Republican legislature to complete the Florida Coast-to-Coast Trail.  This was a disappointing and short-sighted decision.  The veto does nothing to help Titusville, where the trail was slated to cross, with its vacant storefronts, reeling from NASA cutbacks.  The Trail could have done for Titusville what the West Orange Trail did for Winter Garden and the Pinellas Trail did for Dunedin.

The Governor stated in his veto message:

“The worthwhile project contemplated by the Coast-to-Coast connector can be built incrementally and consistent with a prioritization of gaps in the existing trail system.”

Hope lies with the Florida Department of Transportation to continue connecting the disparate trails, absent a State line item in the budget.  The Governor stated that FDOT's Transportation Work Program includes $57 million in statewide funding for trails.

FDOT can and should prioritize completion of the Starkey, Orange, and Seminole gaps for $6.5 million--a minuscule sum in FDOT's $9 billion budget.  Closing these gaps would make substantial improvements in connectivity in the Tampa Bay and Orlando metro areas, the Trail's most populated regions.

The next priority should be the Good Neighbor Gap ($3.75 million) to bring economic benefits to Weeki Watchee and Brooksville and create impressive connectivity between Tampa Bay and the Withlacoochee Trail.  FDOT could hopefully complete this segment together with, or soon after completion of the already-funded Good Neighbor Trail.

I would then turn attention to the East-Central Gap.  This  more expensive segment ($8.1 million) would  connect Central Florida to Titusville, desperate for economic relief.  I would then extend out to the National Seashore.  ($4 million)

FDOT and FDEP should explore whether they can alter the route to use more right-of-way within the Withlacoochie State Forest to cut acquisition costs for the Van Fleet Gap.  This is the most expensive segment (up to $18 million) and last on my recommended priority list.  

FDOT can and should close the Starkey, Seminole and Orange gaps for less than $10 million and substantially improve connectivity, even without a State Budget line item.   (Click image to enlarge). 

Senator Andy Gardiner deserves commendation for his work in getting the Coast-to-Coast connector approved in the budget.  His efforts to achieve good public policy are a model for people seeking and holding public office.   UPDATE 5/25: At a "Political Breakfast," sponsored by the Winter Park Chamber of Commerce, Senator Gardiner pledged to complete the Coast-to-Coast Trail in increments during his remaining three years in Tallahassee. 

Before Governor Scott's veto, some of Central Florida's elected Republican leaders, including Seminole Commission Chair Bob Dallari, Winter Garden Mayor John Reese, and Orange County Commissioner Scott Boyd, joined with Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer to ride the West Orange Trail to demonstrate their support of the Coast-to-Coast connector.  Governor Scott's veto slows the project, delays its economic benefits, and was inconsistent with the judgment of Central Florida's mainstream Republican leadership, who see an obvious, huge return on investement.  

In the meanwhile, please, FDOT, work with Senator Gardiner and save the Coast-to-Coast connector. 

Read more HERE.  

FDOT: Roundabouts Are Now "Preferred" -- Evaluations Mandatory

Roundabout signs and markings from the 2013 FDOT Intersection Design Guide. 

The Florida Department of Transportation released its 2013 Intersection Design Guide on March 1, adding a new chapter on roundabouts.  The opening paragraphs are striking:

Due to substantial safety, operational, and capacity characteristics, roundabouts are an equivalent or better intersection configuration for any new roadway or reconstruction project.  Roundabouts shall be evaluated on new construction, reconstruction and safety improvement projects, as well as anytime there are proposed changes in intersection control that will be more restrictive than the existing conditions.

An initial screening shall be conducted at the Preliminary Engineering (PD&E) stage of every project to determine which of the intersections within the project limits will be constructed as roundabouts. The initial screening for applicability of roundabouts is based on traffic volumes.  Roundabouts shall be considered the preferred option at intersections where the total projected (design year) entering traffic volumes are up to 25,000 vehicles per day (vpd) for a single-lane, and up to 45,000 vpd for a two lane roundabout.

FDOT is specifying that it does not intend high speed traffic circles:

"On State roads or at intersections with State roads, only modern roundabouts as defined in NCHRP 672 will be allowed."

The recommended design speed is slightly more than I would want, but a huge improvement over the 45 mph default speed on the State Highway System:

Roundabouts should be designed for operating speeds between 20 and 25 mph. The approaches to the roundabout must be carefully designed to provide enough deflection to cause motorists to reduce speeds prior to entry.  .... At a minimum, roundabouts should accommodate school buses, moving vans, garbage trucks, fire trucks, and other emergency vehicles.

The last roundabout simulation I saw at 20 mph functioned poorly because the circulating vehicles whipped around too fast for other vehicles to enter.  The irony of roundabouts is that they function more efficiently at slower speeds.  Design speeds at 15 mph are more efficient than at 20 or 25 mph.

FDOT now prefers roundabouts because:

Roundabouts by nature encourage lower speeds on the approach to, and within the circulatory roadway, thereby enhancing safety characteristics. The numbers of vehicles that are required to come to a complete stop at a roundabout are significantly less than at a conventional intersection, thereby reducing delay.

FDOT notes that "Roundabouts may be especially useful as a practical solution to skewed intersections."  Roundabouts should be considered where a history exists of "fatal and injury crashes" as well as a "pedestrian or bicycle crashes."  Roundabouts should also be considered when signalization becomes warranted and as a "context sensitive solution."   

The new Intersection Control Guide gives new prominence to protecting pedestrians.  In the Roundabout chapter:

Pedestrian features (where applicable) shall be plainly obvious through the use of crosswalks and supplementary signs, and shall include splitter islands sufficiently sized to harbor anticipated pedestrian group sizes (6’ minimum at the crosswalk).  Night time illumination is mandatory to increase the visibility of the roundabout and improve sight distance during dark hours. 

The treatment for bicyclists is interesting, too, in acknowledging the safety of "taking the lane" as advocated by vehicular cyclists: "At the end of the bicycle lane, the cyclist may either “command the lane” and pass through the circulatory roadway, or divert onto the sidewalk and cross at pedestrian crossings. No bicycle lane markings shall be placed within the circulatory roadway."

The new Roundabout chapter is a welcome addition to the Intersection Design Guide. The chapter is timely given that the Federal Highway Administration recently approved two roundabouts on U.S. 41 in the City of Sarasota.  Link HERE to a conceptual drawing.  Over the coming decade, we should see roundabouts spread throughout Florida and a much safer transportation network.

ADDITIONAL COMMENT (May 8, 2013)--Here's the language set forth in the Design Guide establishing the steps for priority status for roundabouts:

 An initial screening shall be conducted at the Preliminary Engineering (PD&E) stage of every project to determine which of the intersections within the project limits will be constructed as roundabouts. The initial screening for applicability of roundabouts is based on traffic volumes. Roundabouts shall be considered the preferred option at intersections where the total projected (design year) entering traffic volumes are up to 25,000 vehicles per day (vpd) for a single lane, and up to 45,000 vpd for a two-lane roundabout. Minor street volumes should not be less than 1,500 vpd nor more than 12,000 vpd for a single-lane, and between 1,500 and 27,000 vpd for a two lane roundabout. Intersections exhibiting volumes outside these limits may be candidates for roundabouts subject to an operational analysis.
....

If an intersection passes the initial screening, an individual isolated operational analysis of each roundabout shall be performed in compliance with the Highway Capacity Manual (TRB 2010). A series of roundabouts shall be analyzed using corridor simulation. .... If a roundabout exhibits equal or better operating and safety characteristics than a conventional intersection, a roundabout must be completely advanced through the public involvement (CAP) stage.
....

The cost/benefit analysis shall consider the benefits of crash and delay reduction of a roundabout in comparison to...a proposed conventional intersection. The analysis shall also account for the savings in right-of-way costs...due to the elimination of additional turn and/or auxiliary lanes and their transitions. If the benefit/cost ratio of a roundabout is greater than that for a conventional intersection, a roundabout becomes the preferred alternative.

Governor Scott Should Sign the Coast-to-Coast Trail into Law

Route of the Florida Coast-to-Coast Trail approved by the Florida legislature.  

Florida State Senator Andy Gardiner (R-Winter Park) achieved a milestone by obtaining legislative approval of the Florida Coast-to-Coast recreational trail.  Funding would come in increments of $10 million a year for five years from the transportation trust fund--a drop in the bucket from FDOT's $8 billion in annual expenditures.  The Florida Department of Environmental Protection proposed a total length of 276 miles, 200 miles of which the public is already using.  The approved legislation would acquire land and complete the remaining 76 miles, connecting the Pinellas Trail, Suncoast Trail, the Starkey Trail, Withlacoochee State Trail, Van Fleet State Trail, South Lake Trail, West Orange Trail, Cady Way, Seminole-Wekiva Trail, and East Central Rail Trail.  The trail would start at Tampa Bay in St. Petersburg end on the Atlantic Coast at the National Seashore.

Imagine rolling out of your driveway in Winter Garden, Oveido, Altamonte Springs, or Winter Park and biking to one of Florida's coasts on a protected trail.

Anyone who has observed the remarkable economic transformations of Winter Garden and Dunedin--due mainly to the bike trails passing through--will appreciate the project's  economic upside.  Vacancies in Dunedin went from 70% to virtually nothing today.  The West Orange Trail, Little Econ, and Cady Way Trails pump more than $40 million annually into the Central Florida economy.

Governor Scott should sign the Coast-to-Coast Trail into law and not even consider the veto pen on such a worthy project.  His staff monitors emails and telephone calls from members of the public.  To urge Governor Scott to sign the Coast-to-Coast Trail funding into law, you can contact the Governor's office at THIS LINK.

How the Dutch Modified Intersections to Make Cycling Safer

Common sense...

Orange County Approves Bicycle Parking Ordinance

Orange County has miles to go in reforming its out-of-date parking requirements, but the Commission recently took a good first step by adopting their first bicycle parking ordinance.  Here's the text:

 Section 12.      Creation of Section 38-1484.  A new Section 38-1484 under Article XI (“Off-Street Parking and Loading Regulations”) is hereby created to read as follows:

Sec. 38-1484.  Bicycle parking spaces.

Bicycle parking spaces shall be provided as follows:

(a) For developments that require up to ten (10) vehicular parking spaces, two (2) bicycle parking spaces shall be required.

(b)        For developments that require ten (10) or more vehicular parking spaces, two (2) bicycle parking spaces shall be required, plus one (1) additional bicycle parking space for each ten (10) vehicular parking spaces above ten (10); provided that no more than eight (8) bicycle parking spaces are required for any one (1) establishment within any zoning district other than a Planned Development. A Planned Development may be required to have more than eight (8) bicycle parking spaces. If eight (8) or more bicycle parking spaces are required, replacing a vehicle space with all or part of required bicycle parking in a “bicycle corral” configuration shall be permitted, notwithstanding the requirements of Section 38-1485.  

(a)                For developments within the Alternative Mobility Area that require ten (10) or more vehicular parking spaces, two (2) bicycle parking spaces shall be required, plus one (1) additional bicycle parking space for every five (5) vehicular parking spaces above ten (10); provided that no more than twelve (12) bicycle parking spaces are required for any one (1) establishment within any zoning district other than a Planned Development. If eight (8) or more bicycle parking spaces are required, replacing a vehicle space with all or part of required bicycle parking in a “bicycle corral” configuration shall be permitted, notwithstanding the requirements of Section 38-1485.  

(b)               At least fifty (50) percent of the required bicycle parking shall be provided in bicycle racks located no more than 120 feet from primary building entrances served, and should preferably be within fifty (50) feet. Bicycle racks serving secondary entrances shall be located no more than one hundred twenty (120) feet from secondary entrances, and should preferably be within fifty (50) feet.  Racks shall not be placed so that they block any building entrance or impede pedestrian flow in or out of the building.

(c)                All bicycle parking spaces shall comply with the following standards: Each bicycle parking space shall have a minimum area of twenty-four (24) inches by seventy-two (72) inches to fully accommodate a parked bicycle. Bicycle parking spaces shall be accessible to users without users having to ascend or descend stairs, and shall be separated from vehicle parking spaces by physical barriers, such as curbs, wheel stops, bollards or other similar features, to protect bicycles from being damaged by vehicles.

Section 13.      Creation of Section 38-1485.  A new Section 38-1485 under Article XI is hereby created to read as follows:

Sec. 38-1485.   Bicycle racks.

(a)                All standard bicycle racks shall comply with the following performance standards:

(1)               Bicycle racks shall be an inverted "U"/hoop rack, campus rack, or similar device that accommodates two (2) bicycle parking spaces per rack and enables users to lock the frame and both wheels.

(2)               Bicycle racks shall have a minimum tube diameter of 1.9 inches and be powder coated or coated with another weather-proof surface as may be approved by the zoning manager.

(3)               Bicycle racks shall be a maximum height of thirty-six (36) inches, a minimum of thirty (30) inches on center between horizontal rows, and a minimum of twenty-four (24) inches from any building wall.  They shall be anchored to a common base or mounting surface of concrete or pavement. If more than one row of bicycle racks is installed to create the required bike parking area, the installation shall provide a minimum of sixty (60) inches in an aisle in each row, assuming additional spacing for parked bicycles.

                            (4)               If a building has an arcade, colonnade, awning , or other shade structure installed to meet the requirements of Section 9-554 or other applicable land development code provision, bicycle racks shall be installed under this feature to provide shaded parking. 

(b)               Alternative bicycle rack designs may be approved, provided they comply with the following standards:

(1)               Alternative bicycle rack designs shall accept multiple bicycle frame sizes and styles and accommodate the use of cable and U-type locks. Alternative bicycle rack designs shall support a bicycle frame at two (2) points above the wheel hubs to allow the frame and at least one (1) wheel of the bicycle to be locked to the rack without lifting the bicycle onto the device.

(2)               Alternative bicycle rack designs shall be easy to understand and operate, with no moving parts.  Alternative bicycle rack designs shall be visible to pedestrians and the visually impaired, but consistent with the scale of the bicycle locked to the device.

(3)               Alternative bicycle rack designs shall be powder coated or coated with another weather-proof surface as may be approved by the zoning manager.

Ravaudage CDD

Miller's Ale House - the first business to take part in the Ravaudage redevelopment.   Power lines were buried.  Relocation of the  out-of-scale billboard, which I recall was the developer's intent, would further improve the aesthetics.  

Orlando Sentinel reporter David Breen interviewed me last week for a story about developer Dan Bellows'

request that the City of Winter Park approve a Community Development District ("CDD") for his Ravaudage project at U.S. 17-92 and Lee Road.  CDDs, an entity created by Chapter 190 of the Florida Statutes, can issue municipal bonds to fund infrastructure.  When a CDD fails, the bondholders suffer the financial loss while any homeowners who have purchased into the development may never see completion of the infrastructure they were promised. 

The merits of a CDD vary depending on the development they're associated with, said Winter Park attorney Rick Geller, who teaches land-use law at Rollins College.   

"Baldwin Park seemed to work out very well, while Bella Collina was a disaster," said Geller. "So a CDD can work if it's in the right location and the economics make sense." 

Ravaudage might be an area where those factors align, Geller said.  "In this case, where you have a huge piece of blighted land, and the city does not have the resources to put in infrastructure on its own, this is not a bad option," he said. 

City Manager Randy Knight agreed that the CDD might be a good fit.

The story is at THIS LINK.  The Winter Park City Commission unanimously approved of the CDD this week.  Dan Bellows developed the quaint Hannibal Square area of Winter Park. Judging by the reconstruction of Lewis Street, it appears that, at Ravaudage, he wants to ultimatelycapture the look and feel of classic Winter Park, by lining streets with oak trees, attractive street lamps, and parallel parking.  Lewis Street would have looked better with 10 foot lanes, instead of 11 foot, but, while a Planning and Zoning Commissioner, Orange County staff declined my request for the narrower lanes.   

John Mica: Conquering Orlando

"Read Conquering Gotham," Rep. John Mica (R-FL) urged Rollins College Master of Planning students last week in a free-wheeling exchange of ideas. Conquering Gotham is the history of New York City's Penn Station and the linking of Manhattan with electric trains.  Large-scale transportation projects fascinate Mica, former chair of the House Transportation Committee.  "Don't you love this stuff?" he asked the students. 

When Central Florida's history is written 50 years from now, after transit has finally reached maturity, someone might want to title it, Conquering Orlando, and describe John Mica's pitivol role.  "We think what you've accomplished will be transformative," Professor Rick Foglesong told the Congressman. 

Congressman Mica sees SunRail linking to the Orlando International Airport linking to high speed rail.  He said the 110 miles an hour average speed of the Florida East Central Railway--which will link OIA to Miami--will exceed that of Amtrak's Acela line. 

"How do you link to the apartments and businesses on Maitland Boulevard?" he asked one of the planning students who presented a vision of Maitland's "park and ride" SunRail station and parking lot transforming into a vibrant, urban Transit Oriented Development.  Mica sees a critical need for east-west Lynx bus service to ferry riders to SunRail's spine. 

He criticized the lack of bus shelters in Florida's blistering heat.  Congressman Mica even painted an amusing picture of himself sitting on an overturned shopping cart waiting for a bus to the airport, after his wife dropped him off. 

If the students expressed any disappointment, it was with Congressman Mica's skepticism of the viability of walkable Transit Oriented Development.  "It's brutal," he said of Florida's hot, wet climate.  He questioned whether people would walk even one block from the train to a parking garage.  (The separation of the train and parking would economically energize the block in between, much like the separation of Universal's parking and theme parks economically energizes City Walk.)   The irony was that Mica expressed skepticism about walkable development a few stone-throws from beautiful Park Avenue, perhaps Central Florida's most successful business district.  Florida's summers are no more brutal than winters in New York City, Washington, Boston, or any number of walkable cities.  People will walk when something makes walking worthwhile.   The students envision a built environment more worthwhile than what currently surrounds the future Maitland and Altamonte Springs SunRail stations.  To his credit, Congressman Mica has publicly supported transit oriented deposition for its potential to involve the private sector and generate revenue.  He has also sponsored federal legislation making such projects eligible for federal grants and guarantees. The Washington Metro is now looking at Transit Oriented Development as a revenue generator, a worthy model for SunRail to fund operations and capital costs.

During a question and answer session with Rollins undergraduates later that evening, someone asked Congressman Mica about the fact that young people are driving less.  This question brought the Congressman's visit to Rollins around to a full circle.  Walkable development creating exciting urban environments in Central Florida could keep many of our children from moving to New York and Washington, as many presently intend.  The Master of Planning students are on the right track. 

Here's a LINK to the Rollins College write-up of Congressman Mica's visit.

U.S. 17-92, a sprawl highway, re-imagined as a pedestrian-friendly, multi-way boulevard, in a student presentation to Congressman Mica.  Credit: Jose Ayala

  Strolling on Park Avenue near Winter Park's future SunRail station.

Supervised Bicycling Lessening Symptoms of Down Syndome

Research is continuing at Arizona State University into the amazing impact of supervised bicycling as a means to lessen the cruel symptoms of Down syndrome.

A small, pilot study two years ago found that adolescents with the chromosomal disorder were able to process information more quickly and had better manual dexterity even after just one therapy session.

In an ongoing study, participants attend 30-minute workout sessions three times each week. Families members have indicated that they’ve noticed an increase in talking, interaction and improved mood among those currently participating in the research effort.

“It’s really remarkable that by doing this kind of exercise, they begin to think faster,” Ringenbach said of the study participants who she believes are developing new brain cells. “It has the potential to dramatically change the quality of their lives. With early intervention in children with Down syndrome, it’s possible it could improve their IQ.”

The article is at THIS LINK.